November 17, 2015, Amarillo, Texas- Runbiz in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo, is pleased to announce the completion of the renovation and expansion “Club Tech, powered by Runbiz” a state-of-the-art technology center supporting the Academic Success Initiative and the over 700 kids that are members of the Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo and Canyon’s Maverick Location.

We invite the community to join us in celebrating the grand opening of the newly renovated Club Tech, powered by Runbiz. This celebration will begin Tuesday, November 24th at 3:45pm, with a community assembly in the Boys & Girls Club Gym, followed by a ribbon-cutting with the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and a reception. The Boys and Girls club of Amarillo is located at 1923 S. Lincoln Street in Amarillo.

The Boys & Girls Clubs Maverick location serves over 700 boys and girls on a year-around basis. The overarching goal of the Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo & Canyon is to provide at-risk youth from low-income families in underserved neighborhoods a safe, nurturing environment that enhances opportunities for youth, ages 5-18, to develop the qualities necessary to become responsible citizens. Part of that development includes access to and education through technology.

Club Tech, powered by Runbiz is part of the Boys & Girls Club Academic Success Initiative. Club Tech programming is designed to support 25-30 children in a given rotation, with access to hands-on educational initiatives, including 20 programs that range from Microsoft Office to Robotics and Coding/Development. Originally the computer lab housed only 8 working computers and a traditional style projector to serve over 200 children. When asked to help with a technology plan to capitalize on a $2500 grant for technology, Runbiz professionals realized that the need for new equipment and services far outweighed the resources available to this organization. As a team we decided to go all in, providing a state-of-the-art renovation, more equipment and a commitment to provide all the managed services needed to keep Club Tech running and kids learning.

“Helping The Maverick was an obvious choice for me. I went there as a kid. I volunteered with United Way and really learned about the great services they provide. We started providing their IT services several years ago when we were a much younger company. Since then, Runbiz has been blessed and we feel obligated to give back to our community. Most of our team have young families so this was an obvious way of combining two things close to our hearts, kids and technology,” says Drew Terrell, President Runbiz.

Runbiz pulled together and utilized several local relationships and vendor relationships to design and implement the expansion of Club Tech, powered by Runbiz with contribution of over $25,000 to date. Runbiz selected to purchase Dell’s latest form factor, the “micro-tower” for this lab. Providing the latest in processing and space utilization capability. What really separates this style from others is the size. These towers are no bigger than a modem which is a real space saver. This will allow us to tuck them behind the monitor to allow more work space. In addition to the micro-towers, Runbiz also purchased Dell Venue Pro tablets. These devices will familiarize the kids with the “mobility” trend today’s manufacturers are focusing on.

“We are securing this technology through cloud-managed Firewalls, Wireless Access Points, and Switches. Not only are these easier to manage for an IT department, but they also offer state of the art security. The kids can change whatever they want, to see how things work, but the software will automatically reset it to our configuration upon rebooting. It’s really cool and removes the “fear” of newer users. It’s empowering for them to know they can’t mess it up,” says Terrell.

The original grant funding for upgrades, along with special pricing through Runbiz vendor relationships, allowed The Boys and Girls Clubs to purchase a state-of-the-art Smart Board. Runbiz is installing and configuring the Smart Board along with providing training to the faculty on how to utilize this tool for teaching.

“When we have a client that makes us aware of a significant need in our community, we consider it privilege to be able to satisfy that need, especially since we excel in this particular technology. We have just the right people to make this an environment that not only will help these kids educationally but will make it fun and team oriented. It is an honor to serve through Boys and Girls Clubs of America.”- Verone Leimer, Partner/CFO Runbiz.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Amarillo & Canyon is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens – this mission guides every action of our organization. “This partnership with Runbiz is incredibly exciting and will allow us to continue to grow and provide expansive opportunities where we have traditionally been challenged”, says Alise Dixon, Director of Operations Maverick Boys & Girls Club. “The mission of the Boys and Girls Club is one that is near and dear to my own heart. The children in our community. We are glad to help by providing our technical expertise and the equipment necessary to help foster an environment where children can grow and learn. The Boys and Girls Club has touched the lives of many of our youth and we are honored to be involved in that mission” –Toby Giddens, Partner Senior IT Consultant Runbiz.